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I don't care for that look either. I prefer the Romulans as they were in The Original Series.

--Sran

__________________"He clapped his captain—his friend—on the shoulder. Yes, this man was very much like James Kirk, in all the ways that mattered." --Christopher L. Bennett-- Star Trek: Mere Anarachy, The Darkness Drops Again

Denobulans. I enjoy their sense of community and family, their curiosity, and their sense of humor. I love Dr. Phlox's character, and if he were a real person, I imagine I would really enjoy talking with him.

__________________
Take my advice: if you're cast on thin ice, you may as well dance.

. . . My first Trek costume in early 1980 was a therefore a no-brainer. And a huge challenge. A friend's grandmother donated the white wig, which were impossible to buy in Sydney in 1980. (All I could find were judge's wigs.)

That's a great outfit. How did you make the antennae?

__________________“All the universe or nothingness. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?”

Romulan commanders weren't evil because they were promoted. They were promoted because they were evil.

Being ruthlessly cold and calculating, and absolutely loyal to your superiors and a government that worked solely for cultural expansion at the expense of civilian prosperity was the only way to get a high ranking government job. It was the sort of government where anybody who opposed the party got secretly disappeared.

On Earth, well, depends what company you work for. Some companies promote based on competence, some based on politics, and some based on how good you are at keeping your illegal behavior secret. If you earned your promotion and aren't dumping chemicals into rivers or buying companies for the sole purpose of selling off their assets, you're fine.

The argument 'A Romulan's first duty is to the government' is the same as saying 'The CEO's first duty is to the shareholders'. It's technically correct but it doesn't excuse the immoral, harmful behavior it's invoked to justify.

I'm often confused about my feelings and always torn between logic and my emotions.

Oh and I really love the Trill people...maybe since I'm so confused...Joined Trill would also do! Also I feel like I could go in so many directions at once, am interested in so many things...kind of like Ezri was when she became joined only not as annoying....I hope...

I'm like Ezri when she goes to the replicator...can't make a freakin' decision.

__________________Once there was a grocery man whose name was simply Louie...until the day his store blew up and his produce went kablewie.

Romulan commanders weren't evil because they were promoted. They were promoted because they were evil.

I doubt the Romulans would see it that way. And there are several instances of honorable men and women earning high-ranking positions within the Romulan military or government.

JirinPanthosa wrote:

Being ruthlessly cold and calculating, and absolutely loyal to your superiors and a government that worked solely for cultural expansion at the expense of civilian prosperity was the only way to get a high ranking government job. It was the sort of government where anybody who opposed the party got secretly disappeared.

I'm not sure the Romulans were interested in cultural expansion or conquest, at least not in the twenty fourth century. Rarely are they seen attempting to take territory away from an enemy. On the contrary, they adopt more of an isolationist stance, protecting their borders from outsiders. They even sign a non-aggression pact with the Dominion in order to avoid committing their military to war.

JirinPanthosa wrote:

The argument 'A Romulan's first duty is to the government' is the same as saying 'The CEO's first duty is to the shareholders'. It's technically correct but it doesn't excuse the immoral, harmful behavior it's invoked to justify.

Maybe not. I still don't see what that has to do with my admiration for certain aspects of their culture. No one has provided an answer to that question.

--Sran

__________________"He clapped his captain—his friend—on the shoulder. Yes, this man was very much like James Kirk, in all the ways that mattered." --Christopher L. Bennett-- Star Trek: Mere Anarachy, The Darkness Drops Again

Maybe not. I still don't see what that has to do with my admiration for certain aspects of their culture. No one has provided an answer to that question.

--Sran

Your admiration is for their devotion to duty and country, but what I'm trying to point out is that to have that devotion they have to turn a blind eye to their harsh intolerance of dissent. There's devotion and there's blind devotion. Garak understood the difference, but we've only seen a handful of Romulans who did.

And there are plenty of times the Romulans have tried to acquire territory. They spent season three trying to provoke war with the Federation in a manner that the Federation could appear the aggressors, they tried to invade Vulcan incompetently, and I share Sisko's doubts that they left Benzite after the Dominion War was over. They've also got a fairly large Empire that they couldn't have built up without conquering a ton of planets inside their borders. They were clever conquerers, but they were clearly conquerers. Make no mistake that there are probably dozens of Bajors inside their borders.

Your admiration is for their devotion to duty and country, but what I'm trying to point out is that to have that devotion they have to turn a blind eye to their harsh intolerance of dissent. There's devotion and there's blind devotion. Garak understood the difference, but we've only seen a handful of Romulans who did.

Thank you for your thoughtful answer! The handful of Romulans who understood the difference are the reason I admire their people. Their society is a work in progress, but the potential for something greater is there.

JirinPanthosa wrote:

...and I share Sisko's doubts that they left Benzite after the Dominion War was over.

Was it Sisko or Odo who said that? I vaguely remember Odo making a comment that amused Kira to no end during that discussion.

--Sran

__________________"He clapped his captain—his friend—on the shoulder. Yes, this man was very much like James Kirk, in all the ways that mattered." --Christopher L. Bennett-- Star Trek: Mere Anarachy, The Darkness Drops Again

Denobulans. I enjoy their sense of community and family, their curiosity, and their sense of humor. I love Dr. Phlox's character, and if he were a real person, I imagine I would really enjoy talking with him.

Love the sentiment behind your post, but (in reference to your sig) why mistrust a Vulcan? They are incapable of lying.

Vulcans are perfectly capable of lying, provided there is a logical reason for why the lie is needed. Spock has told the occasional lie, and Tuvok was on an undercover mission when Voyager began.

Correct. Vulcans are able to justify this because they deem it both logical and necessary to follow the orders of a superior officer.

--Sran

__________________"He clapped his captain—his friend—on the shoulder. Yes, this man was very much like James Kirk, in all the ways that mattered." --Christopher L. Bennett-- Star Trek: Mere Anarachy, The Darkness Drops Again

Understood. So, if you are not an enemy of the Vulcan's superior officer, you can easily trust him. Otherwise, you might not be able to confidently trust the green-blooded. But why "NEVER trust a Vulcan"? Rather, only mistrust a Vulcan when his superior's interests are at odds with your own.

I've identified with Vulcans ever since the original Trek was on NBC back in the '60s. I tend to be reserved and aloof, and I don't like to show emotion. I can also be a pedantic asshole sometimes.

Pretty much this. Well, I wasn't born yet when the original series was first on, but other than that... I've been called cold and unemotional, and on another message board people used to call me "Spock" (without even knowing I watched Star Trek) because of this tendency.